FC Porto B draw 2-2 with FC Vizela in match marred by refereeing | OneFootball

FC Porto B and FC Vizela drew 2-2 in a match that João Brandão felt was marked by refereeing decisions. After the sixth round of the Segunda Liga, the coach pointed out that “the second goal is clearly a foul on Duarte Cunha” and admitted he did not understand “how the referee doesn’t send off the FC Vizela player, because it is clearly an act of aggression.” Convinced that “Today the rules of the game were not upheld,” the manager still stressed that “the team took a step forward” and is “clearly closer to winning with this attitude, with this organization and with this collective spirit.”

Refereeing once again in the spotlight “These games have been marked by refereeing. We are not hiding behind what we didn’t do and what we have to do, we are not hiding behind the team’s defensive shortcomings in defensive moments over the last few games, unlike today, when we were extremely organized in that phase. This has been the hallmark: the second goal is clearly a foul on Duarte (Cunha), then there is an incident where I cannot understand how the referee does not give a red card to the FC Vizela player, because it is clearly aggression, he goes in with the intention of attacking the opponent. It is something that has been common to all the games, the way opponents intimidate, how they can put their hands in our players’ faces, as happened in the last home game. That is something I want my players to improve in: the ability to overcome adversity, the ability to be resilient, the ability to play a more intense and more aggressive game, and the ability to repeat efforts in transition moments. That was clear in the first goal, but there are limits and there are rules that have to be respected. Today the rules of the game were not respected.”

Assessment of the 90 minutes “We knew how to defend in different blocks, in different spaces, and we were competent in all of them, whether it was a higher press, a mid-block, or a lower block. Today it was clear how the team has grown in that phase, how much more organized the team was and how it had a collective sense that had been missing in defensive moments. I would also highlight the way we managed to build well from the back, how we were often able to find the free man on the opposite side, the way we knew FC Vizela wanted to trigger pressure through the wide players, and how we adjusted our play professionally, not only with the full-backs but also with the midfielders. We were always able to break that pressure, which had been very strong from FC Vizela in other games, and we had our chances, we chased the game in moments of adversity. The team believed and went after the game, managed to make it 2-2, and had the chance to make it 3-2. The team took a step forward today; it was not enough to win yet, but we are clearly closer to winning with this attitude, with this organization, and with this collective spirit. I highlight the way the team believes and how, even in moments of great difficulty, it manages to play out of pressure. We took a step forward in building competitive teams and teams that win.”

Emanuel Benjamín’s physical issue “It does not seem to be good news, we will wait for the results of the additional tests. I want to highlight not only Emanuel’s debut, but also Veron’s, who has had a very correct attitude and clearly deserved the opportunity to come into the game today, just like Emanuel. Since he arrived, he has tried to regain his physical condition, and now we will wait for the tests, but the news does not seem very good.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.